KAMPALA — Operations at Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda were disrupted on Sunday after military personnel deployed at the company’s premises in Namuwongo, Kampala, following an order by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba directing the shutdown of the media house’s outlets.
The security deployment affected NTV Uganda, Spark TV and the Daily Monitor, with television broadcasts interrupted and staff reportedly prevented from entering or leaving the premises as uncertainty surrounded the company’s operations. Viewers tuning in to NTV Uganda and Spark TV were met with blank screens or “video unavailable” messages.
In a series of posts on X published overnight, Gen. Kainerugaba announced that NTV Uganda and the Daily Monitor were being shut down and stated that the outlets would not resume operations without his permission. He also wrote that he does not believe in a free press but did not provide specific reasons for the action.
Nation Media Group Uganda operates several media platforms, including Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, Spark TV, KFM and Dembe FM. The company is part of the Kenya-based Nation Media Group, one of East Africa’s largest independent media organizations.
By Sunday morning, military personnel remained stationed outside the company’s offices as the disruption continued. Neither Nation Media Group Uganda nor the Ugandan government had issued a detailed public statement explaining the reasons for the deployment at the time of publication.
The incident has drawn widespread attention both within Uganda and internationally, with media organizations and observers closely monitoring developments because of their implications for media operations and press freedom in the country.